How Continuous Learning Will Make You a More Valued Employee

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Everything in life can — and will — change in the blink of an eye. Whether it’s millennials coming along and demanding workplace benefits and transparency from the company they work for or Instagram destroying Snapchat’s game — if you’re not constantly growing and adapting, you will get left behind in the dust.

Continuous learning is especially important if you aim to be a valued employee. Amanda Hughes, Creative Director at Inuvo, says it’s a philosophy she not only lives by, but also holds her employees to. “Trends and technology are constantly changing. I think about how much has changed in just the last 10 years. If you aren’t keeping up with those changes, you not only fall behind in terms of basic skill sets; you lose your inspiration and creativity. But most importantly, you won’t attract or maintain the level of talent you want and need on your team.”

So Where Do I Start?

There are numerous paths to continuous learning: Enrolling in grad school, attending conferences and seminars, watching webinars and tutorials, listening to podcasts, signing up for newsletters relevant to your field. But one of the easiest ways Amanda says her team picks up new skills quickly is via Skillshare.

Skillshare is an online learning community that offers video classes and workshops in just about every subject possible — there’s the “Creative” category, which offers classes in photography, graphic design, writing, UI/UX design, fine art, illustration, animation, music production, and film production; the “Business” category, which offers classes in marketing, entrepreneurship, productivity, freelance, finance, business analytics, management, leadership, sales, human resources, and accounting; the “Technology” category, which offers classes in web development, mobile development, IT security, game design, data science, and product management; and the “Lifestyle” category, which offers classes in crafts, culinary, health & wellness, teaching, home business, languages, and gaming.

You don’t have to have a subscription to Skillshare to join the community; you can enroll in up to 1,381 free classes without a monthly subscription. If you do want to sign up to enjoy the extra benefits, however — which include offline access, premium classes, and 50% of your monthly fees paying Skillshare’s teachers — Skillshare’s premium subscription is $8.25 a month (and you’ll have unlimited access to Skillshare’s entire 16,000+ catalog).

Why Skillshare?

Amanda recommends Skillshare because you’ll have access to “a wide range of topic categories, various teachers from all over the country, and even access to those teachers to ask questions.” The classes are also sectioned into individual videos, so you can watch and learn at your own pace — which is perfect for everyone, but especially those with busy schedules. You could watch a video during your lunch break, in-between meetings, or after work with a glass of wine.

And new classes are added every day. Right now, you can enroll in classes such as Watercolor and Ink Botanical Doodling, Lettering for Brands, SEO Today: Strategies to Earn Trust, Rank High, & Stand Out, and Introduction to Social Media Strategy.